The Water Dragon's Bride Graphic Novel Volume 4 cover image

Asahi is a modern-day girl who is pulled into a pond and is whisked to a strange and mysterious new land.  She meets a boy, Subaru, the son of a prominent family from a nearby village, but his mother immediately dislikes the girl and plots to sacrifice her to the god of the Great Lake.  The Water Dragon God wants Asahi to be his wife, and though she refuses, some locals still see her as a priestess.

The Water Dragon's Bride, Vol. 4 (Chapters 13 to 16) finds Asahi trying to adjust to the new way of things.  The Water Dragon God has now taken on a human guise and is living in the village.  Sabaru, the villager who once saved Asahi, does not like this current state of affairs.  Asahi proposes that the god take them on a voyage to the capital of the empire, but the antics of a young emperor makes Asahi reconsider the role of gods in the lives of humans.

[This volume includes bonus manga, “The Water Dragon God's Chill Zone.”]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Water Dragon's Bride manga is a magical drama about a girl in a strange land.  This manga is from Rei Toma, who also created Dawn of the Arcana, another manga about an oddly strange and magical place.

The Water Dragon's Bride Graphic Novel Volume 4 is poignant for Asahi's yearning for her home.  One thing that is surprising is how much Asahi ruminates on the nature of gods and their relationship to those that worship them.  This clear-eye view makes this series less about a young woman pining over a god (or anyone for that matter) and more about the long-term development of relationships.  Like Dawn of the Arcana, The Water Dragon's Bride is finding its edge.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Rei Toma will want to try the “Shojo Beat” title, The Water Dragon's Bride.

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7.5 out of 10